


Finding Paradise

by Shanieomaniac



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Kayfabe Compliant, Possibly Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26880496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanieomaniac/pseuds/Shanieomaniac
Summary: On the first night of the WWE 2020 Draft, Sami Zayn, proud IC Champion sits backstage and watches the action. His former running buddy, good friend, and better enemy Kevin Owens has a match against the demonic beast that is "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. Sami has been on Smackdown long enough to know The Fiend is trouble, but it's just one match, right?How bad could it be?Based on a tumblr post from user @ilovesamizayn.
Relationships: Alexa Bliss/Bray Wyatt, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	Finding Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure this story will be "Jossed" (there's an old fandom term) by next week, so enjoy it while you can!

The Intercontinental Title was such a work of art, Sami had decided. 

Just the title for an artist such as himself to hold. 

Sami Zayn was sitting backstage at Smackdown admiring the title he had never lost and yet somehow regained at Clash of Champions. It was beautiful, the brassy gold reflecting against the lights, while the black accents and leather provided just the right contrast to balance it out. 

_I should polish it again,_ he thought to himself and, deciding that was a great plan, pulled the polishing cloth he had bought just for that purpose from his duffel bag. 

On the monitor before him, the action in the ring was playing out. It was the first night of the Draft, so everyone was watching. Sami, the luminary that he was, had been picked for Smackdown in the third round. Those fellas at FOX were smart, he concluded. They knew a prime commodity when they saw one, and he was happy to be staying on the Friday Night show, if for no other reason than it kept him far away from RAW Underground and that Retribution nonsense. On the screen at the moment, Miz and Morrison were having a tag match against Heavy Machinery. Otis was such a goofball, Sami mused, he could never hold championship gold, “Mr. Money in the Bank” be damned. He just wasn’t charismatic or brilliant enough. 

He wasn’t worthy of a title like Sami was. 

Gently buffing the fingerprints off the reflective surface, Sami moved the cloth with precision. He had to make sure it was pristine, the moreso the better, whatever it took to make it shine like a star as brilliant as he was. With firm and deliberate motions, he wiped the cloth along the edges of the main plate, the treated fabric removing all imperfections in the metal. Along the etched map-sections he went, his hand caressing the gold like he would a lover. When he finally made his way to the personalized side plates, he took a moment to marvel at them. His name, etched there for the world to see. "Sami Zayn." The WWE Universe had dared to doubt him, calling him illegitimate. He'd shown them, toppling AJ and Jeff fairly in a viscous ladder match and reclaiming - no, _defending_ his precious championship. Now, he didn't care who or what the corporate higher ups threw at him, nothing was going to take the gold from him. He'd waited too long and worked too hard to earn it, they'd have to pry it from his cold, dead hands before he let it go.

He was so engrossed in polishing the title that he didn’t even realize that Kevin’s match against the Fiend was up next. Not until the shrill notes of The Fiend’s music hit did his attention divert back to the monitor. 

Sami paused to watch the Fiend stalk his way to the ring. The Fiend was facing Kevin Owens, a man Sami knew very well. Hell, if you asked Sami, he’d tell you he knew Kevin more than ever recently. Sami never would have won the IC title to begin with if it hadn’t been for Kevin showing Sami what was important... namely yourself, and while he hadn’t paid much attention to what Kevin had been up to lately (Sami had gotten the notion that he was being unusually kind, which almost confused him enough to care, but not quite,) Sami realized that from his understanding a match against The Fiend could be life-changing. The least he could do for his old friend was watch it. After all, unlike Sami, Kevin hadn’t yet been drafted to either show, and was a RAW star by default, so it might be the last chance he had to see one of Kevin’s matches for a while. 

So, Sami tucked the polishing cloth back into his bag, laid the title across his lap and watched the match. 

It... wasn’t much of a match. 

The Fiend was an otherworldly being, a force of pure evil and destruction, carving a path of blood and brutality wherever he went. Kevin Owens was no different, and Sami found his stomach beginning to turn at the level of violence he was witnessing. At one point it almost looked like Kevin would get some offense, but The Fiend countered by flattening Kevin with a clothesline, KO’s head snapping backward across the mat. 

Despite himself, Sami began to worry. 

He didn’t know why, his time with Kevin was in the past, right? They weren’t friends anymore, and they certainly didn’t need each other. It was true that Kevin hadn’t thrived quite so well in Sami’s absence as Sami had without Kevin, but Kevin could take care of himself. 

Right? 

Sami watched as The Fiend continued to brutalize Kevin. 

_Kevin’s fine,_ Sami lied to himself, _He’s_ _got this. The_ _ref_ _will stop it if it goes_ _to_ _far, The Fiend_ _can’t_ _completely destroy_ _him._

Sami’s chest began to tighten as he watched the demon do just that. He began to take short, rapid, nervous breaths, silently pleading for the malevolent creature to finish the fight. 

When he saw The Fiend grab Kevin by the neck for the Sister Abigail, he breathed a sigh of relief. It would be over soon. He watched as The Fiend spun Kevin around, slamming him to the mat. 

_Finally,_ Sami thought, _just pin him._

The soulless monster didn’t. Instead, there was an awful shrieking sound that rang throughout the entire arena, and the multitude of screens in the Thunderdome turned black as the monitor's feed seemed to cut out. 

“What the hell?” Sami exclaimed. He jumped to his feet, still holding the IC title in a tight grip. When the signal picked back up again, the lights were all red and The Fiend was standing over top of Kevin in the ring, that large, sinister mallet in his hands. The shrieking continued and Sami was horrified as he realized Kevin was completely helpless. The referee, who Sami had hoped would maintain some semblance of order, was nowhere to be seen. 

_Oh no_ , Sami thought, as his stomach dropped. 

_Oh God no..._

He watched as The Fiend raised the mallet over his head, before driving it downwards into Kevin’s back. 

The Intercontinental Championship clattered to the ground, cast aside like an unloved trinket, as Sami Zayn bolted for the ring. 

* * *

Sami wasn’t sure how many times Kevin had been hit before he got to the ring. 

Sliding in headfirst, Sami scurried his way across the ring to Kevin who was lying motionless in a pile near the center of the ring. 

“KEVIN!” he cried out as he reached his friend. Sami deliberately positioned himself between Kevin and what he had decided was Evil Incarnate, in the back of his mind praying that the bastard would just walk away. It didn’t matter, Sami wasn’t paying attention to The Fiend. He wasn’t important at the moment, Kevin was, and as the masked demon stepped back, the shrieking in the arena stopped, although the red lighting remained unchanged. Momentarily relieved, Sami rolled Kevin onto his back, his hand gently cupping his friend’s cheek. 

“Kev,” he said softly, “Kev, can you hear me?” 

Kevin made no response, his eyes remaining closed. 

Sami changed positions and pulled his friend into his arms, Kevin’s head cradled against his shoulder. 

“Come on, Kevin, wake up,” he pleaded. There was still silence. 

Desperation crept into his soul as tears began to form. 

“WAKE UP, KEVIN! PLEASE!” Sami shouted frantically. He pulled Kevin even closer into himself, almost as if he could just hold him tight enough, his friend would be ok. 

But he wasn’t, and as Sami gripped Kevin Owens in his arms, he began to scream, bitter, shaking sobs coming from him as the pain of loss wracked his body. He was lost, so very lost. How stupid had he been to think the title ever meant anything? The old Sami Zayn, he never would have let Kevin take on that monster alone. But “The Great Liberator”, oh ho, he had no problem with abandoning people, and now as Sami held what was left of the one person he swore he would never leave behind, he knew that everything he had fought to become, that he had turned into was a lie. 

Sami was so lost in thought; he never even heard the Fiend moving behind him. 

Without warning, the Fiend slammed the mallet into Sami’s back. Sami gasped in agony, his back arching for a moment before he curled inward. 

Pain exploded in Sami’s mind. That mallet, it looked lightweight, but whatever mystical force it was imbued with was made of sheer torment. 

He felt the thing impact a second time, this time closer to his neck. 

In the hell he was experiencing, he realized he should probably find a way to escape, to stop the beating. But... _Kevin_. Kevin was still helpless in his arms, if Sami left, if he even could, it would leave Kevin open to further attacks. 

_No,_ Sami thought, the blood in his field of vision growing with each passing moment, _I_ _can’t_ _let him hurt Kevin._

So, placing Kevin down on the mat, Sami moved to block the Fiend from him, his back shielding Kevin from any potential blows. 

The blows continued, falling on Sami instead. 

CRACK! Against his spine. 

CRUNCH! His pelvis fractured. 

THUD! The back of his head took a blow. 

Somewhere, buried beneath a billion layers of suffering, Sami realized that a beating like this could end his career. There might have even been a thought spared for what was likely a soon-to-again-be-vacated IC title. But he couldn’t be bothered, he was there, protecting Kevin and as painful as the beating was, Sami couldn’t help but smile inwardly. His and Kevin’s careers had been intertwined for so long. In a way, they had started together. Now, they would end together as well. 

And as the tears streaked down Sami’s face, he was strangely at peace. 

It didn't even register for a moment that the attack had stopped. 

When he did, he hurt so much, it was difficult to see why the blows had cease. But he lifted his head the best he could and saw The Fiend standing in front of them, his crimson and gold eyes staring down at them both from within the demonic mask. 

And he wasn’t alone. Standing beside The Fiend, a tormented smile on her face, was Alexa Bliss. She too stared down at them, as though admiring her beastly lover’s handiwork. 

Then, without a word, she reached a hand up to The Fiend’s masked face and stroked his cheek, the tender touch horribly out of place for the current situation. 

For a moment, Sami was afraid Alexa would take a turn with the Mallet. 

Instead, through the haze of pain, Sami watched as she took his left gloved hand in her own petite fingers and, ever so softly, kissed the word printed there – HEAL. The Fiend said nothing, permitting this show of affection before Alexa turned her attention to where Sami was laying on top of Kevin in the ring. Slowly, deliberately, she dropped to a knee beside them, a wicked grin forming on her face. 

Sami wanted to cry out. He had no idea what the hell Little Miss Twisted Bliss had planned for them, but he was too badly injured to protest or stop her. Instead, he just gazed in horror as she closed the distance between them, and fearing the worst, Sami dropped his face down into Kevin’s shoulder and slammed his eyes shut. 

“I’m here, Kevin,” he whispered, not even caring that Kevin was too far gone to hear him. “Whatever happens, I’m here.” 

His body was shattered and broken, and his entire world was pain. This was the end, he knew it. 

He felt Alexa take his head in her hands, and he didn’t fight her as she lifted it roughly... 

And placed a kiss among the fluffy curls. 

Another shriek sounded, then everything went black and silent once more. 

When the lights came back on, the first thing Sami realized was he wasn’t in pain anymore. Far from it, he felt great, all the lingering aches and pains from the previous two weeks had evaporated. He felt wonderful. 

Also, Alexa and the Fiend were gone. 

Kevin was still underneath him though, and Sami was very confused. 

“Kevin?” he asked, getting up off the larger man, “Kevin, are you ok?” 

Kevin’s eyes fluttered open. 

“Ssssami?” he whimpered before his eyes went wide with panic and he started grabbing for Sami, “Oh GOD, Sami, is he gone?!” 

Sami took Kevins flailing hands into his own and gently shushed him. “Shhh, shhh, it’s ok. He’s gone. We’re fine now.” 

The panic in Kevin’s eyes shifted to relief and he began to calm down. Sami pulled Kevin into a seated position and gently pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Kevin shook his head and sniffled a bit, wiping his nose on his wrist tape. 

“How are we ok?” he asked shakily. 

Sami shrugged. “I think Alexa used the Heal glove on us. Best idea I have.” 

Kevin nodded. “That was...” he began, “That was awful. I couldn’t move! It was like he got inside my head! I don’t - I never want to – I - “ 

Kevin’s voice started creeping towards panic again, but Sami wrapped his arms around Owens and held him tight. 

“It’s ok, Kev,” Sami told him, the decision in his mind having been made all the way backstage “From now on, you won’t be facing him alone. I’ll be with you, I promise.” 

The words calmed Kevin down for a moment, before he pulled away from Sami, suspiciously. 

“Hang on,” he said skeptically, throwing both attitude and a glare in Sami’s direction. “Since when were you so interested in my well-being?” 

Sami sighed and scratched at his beard nervously. “Since about five minutes ago when I watched a demonic clown almost murder my best friend.” 

Sami looked around shiftily before his eyes met Kevin’s. The two sat there for a moment, their eyes locked and a lifetime of history and emotion flowing between them, before Kevin chucked and broke away. 

“Works for me,” he said, and he got to his feet, brushing his shorts off as he did. Sami followed soon after and the pair stood in the middle of the Thunderdome, surrounded by hundreds of perplexed digital heads. The pair looked around, observing the reactions before Kevin sheepishly remarked “I don’t think they were expecting a reunion tonight.” 

Sami huffed. “Whatever, screw them. They don’t matter. You’re what’s important.” 

Smirking, Kevin replied “And what about the Intercontinental title. I thought that was important.” 

Sami gave a firm nod, the cockiness and swagger beginning to return. His beloved title; he'd nearly forgotten it in all the commotion.

“Oh it is," Sami told KO, "but you come first. Well, ok, maybe tied for first. Actually, the belt might be ahead by a bit.” 

Kevin raised an eyebrow but said nothing. 

Sami sighed, exasperated. “Fine, OK, you’re about a quarter-point ahead. Don’t test me, Kevin.” 

There was no hostility in Sami's voice, the years of strained relationship and previous betrayals fallen away. Sami knew he loved his title, that' he'd do anything for it. But he'd just proven to himself and the rest of the world that he'd lay his life down for Kevin, so didn't that mean something?

A smile spread across Kevin’s face. “We’ll make it work. Although, our renewed partnership is dependent on my being traded to Smackdown.” 

Sami beamed. “Oh, I’m sure I can pull some strings. I am IC Champion after all.” 

“Two time, even,” KO commented. 

The redhead chirped back “Nope, undisputed and undefeated. AJ and Jeff were frauds.” 

Kevin chuckled again. “Right. Of course.” 

Owens threw his arm around Sami’s green jacketed shoulders. 

“Come on,” KO told him, “I could go for a burger.” 

“You could always go for a burger.” 

"True, but right now, I could go for a double. Getting destroyed by a mystical swamp asshole really takes a lot out of you.” 

Sami said nothing but bobbed his head in agreeance and allowed himself to be led away by his friend. The next morning, he would set about getting Kevin traded to Smackdown. After all, if it worked for The Miz, it should work for him, and with Kevin safely on the same show as him, he could keep an eye on him. Yes, Kevin could take care of himself, he always could. But sometimes it helps to have a friend guarding your rear. 

Kevin used to call Sami his “Guardian Angel.” 

Sami wasn’t sure how much angelic nature there was left in him but if returning to the heavens was what it took to protect Kevin, he would gladly do so. He’d find paradise, seeking it out and ascending to the highest peaks and towers to protect Kevin, and as he headed to the back with Kevin at his side, Sami realized that, after all their time together, he’d only thought he understood Kevin. He was certain that, after everything, he knew what made Kevin so successful. You look out for number one, take care of yourself first, to Hell with everyone else. 

Fuck that. Even if nobody else in the entire goddamn business cared about them, they needed to care for each other. 

He and Kevin had decided long ago that, whatever or wherever they ended up in the industry, it would be together. They’d been apart for too long, Sami decided. They were better as a team, even if they had never won tag team gold when they were a pair, they could protect each other from anyone who might try to end their careers. As long as they could fight another day, there’d always be the potential for championships. 

_And_ _maybe,_ Sami thought happily, as he watched his friend move alongside him, _maybe_ _he’ll_ _even let me_ _take the_ _lead this time._

END

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so my bastard brain held me hostage and forced me to write this after reading Zaynee's post. The post simply read "What if SmackDown ends with Sami cradling an unconscious Kevin tenderly in his arms, screaming for help while tears trickle down his cheeks?" and of course my brain ran with it. I tried to sleep, I really did, but my brain would NOT be satisfied until I wrote this. No, it's not based on a dream and there's no OCs this time around, just pure Sami and Kevin angsty goodness. Also, I don't think I have ever written anything in my life this painfully kayfabe compliant before, so that's a thing. Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you liked it, let me know. Kudos equal cookies. Comments equal... I dunno, ice cream or something.


End file.
